Mark Staake, 41, of Albuquerque, N.M. appeared briefly in a St. Albans, Vt. courtroom Monday, to waive his right to contest extradition to New Mexico to face serious criminal charges in that state.

Authorities in New Mexico said Staake was part of a plot to travel to Vermont to kill two residents in grisly fashion. "It is unusual," Franklin County, Vt. State's Attorney Jim Hughes said. "I'm happy it's unusual."

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Staake was allegedly sent to Vermont last month by Dana Martin. He is currently serving life in a New Mexico prison after pleading guilty to the 2000 rape and murder of a Vermont 15-year-old, DeAndra Florucci of Barre.

Investigator Clinton Norris of the N.M. State Police wrote in a written affidavit for Staake’s arrest that Martin described himself as a "very good manipulator" who convinced a former jailhouse buddy, Staake, that he was very wealthy and could pay him handsomely if he'd murder two Vermonters. Norris's document did not identify the targets, listing their initials only as P.L and M.S. to protect their identities. Investigators in both N.M. and Vt. said Staake brought along his nephew, Tanner Ruane, 23, for the cross-country contract killings.

Another affidavit, written by Vt. State Police Det. Matthew Hill, said Hill interviewed P.L. and M.S., notified them of the plot, and gathered evidence of harassing letters Martin sent them. "This was not a stranger situation. There, I believe, was some connection between the intended victims and the person in New Mexico who sent these two," Hughes said. “I guess the lesson is, ‘Be careful who you associate with.’”

Detectives said Dana Martin told the pair to murder their would-be victims by strangulation with men's neckties, a similar method Martin used to kill Florucci. But authorities said Staake and Ruane got lost before they could do anything heinous. When they apparently missed a turn and headed for the border with Canada, the affidavits described how a U.S. Border Patrol agent at the Highgate, Vt. border crossing flagged Staake's name and he was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant. Ruane was later arrested in New York State.

Investigators said Ruane was upset, saying "I wanted this... to go down so bad," and described how Ruane's role in the murders would to be castrate the victims with a pair of hedge clippers. “I was going to go ‘Snip, Snip,’” Norris said of what Ruane told Martin of the castrations, during a phone call the correctional facility recorded.

The N.M. State Police affidavit said there were two other would-be victims: an internationally-recognized celebrity, and the celebrity's bodyguard. The court documents described how Staake believed he could track the star's travels through the press. Investigators only identified the celebrity by the initials J.B., and said Martin wanted the high-profile target dead so the convict could become more infamous himself, from behind bars.

With the alleged plot discovered, Vt. Superior Court Judge Jim Crucitti told Staake Monday he will be held in Vermont until New Mexico authorities come get him and bring him back West. There, he is expected to face a host of serious charges including two second-degree felony counts of conspiracy to commit murder.